St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-10-29


New York, declare that the turf is IN its
infancy, and that the public having once
become aroused to the Importance OF
racing as we'll as pleasure incidental to
it, the sport will make prodigious strides,
every year eclipsing the last. 1t does
not follow that records have been broken
all to pieces, right and left, during this
season. One or two of the best records
have been equaled, and at the Brooklyn
Jockey Club DRY Monopole" reduced
the time for the mile and quarter run
to two minutes and seven seconds. The
breaking of a record is of chief and
almost only importance to the owner of
the successful horse. In the midst of the
truest turfmen it is of vastly greater i'm
portance that large number of horses
should do well-that the victories should
be divided with some evenness. For
then it is apparent that intelligent breed
ing is having it's proper effect in extend
ing the general possibilities of horse
flesh; and promise is given of raising
the average of American horses to high
standard. The record of events for 1887
bristles with the names of comparatively
unknown horses that made their marks,
with brilliant races stubbornly contested,
with prodigies of success on the part OF
the field And the audiences at the tracks
on race days have far surpassed the ag-
eregate similar assemblages of years
past.
But while these considerations are
pleasant to the turftnan, they cover
large and disagreeable thorn. With a
marked increase in public interest In run
ming races comes the increase of the
stakes and purses. That is not bad in it.
self, and under proper conditions ought
to effect so much the more good to the
sport. But like a glass of liquor it has
its temptation and is liable to abuse 1t
stimulates the commercial spirit in horse
owners and leads to the overworking OF
the ablest horses in order that the pro-
prietors may clear as much money as pos
sible in the season. Hardly week passes
now that some great racer is not reported
"done for" and off the track, when had
it not been for overwork the horse in
question might have lasted for several
years. Troubadour at five years old
ran out in the middle of the season,
having been forced to several victories
before the final break came; The Bard
went through many serious sick spells
and was frequently despaired of; and
the wonderful three-year-old Hanover
was worked so hard that it is not prob
able he will be able to do much if any
thing next year. In contrast to these,
which are only instances out OF great
number, is Freddy Gebhardt's nine-year-
old Eole, a long, sombre-looking horse,
q victor on European tracks before he
saw America; Eole has been run in a
reasonable number of races and has
demonstrated the value of conservative
treatment by winning nearly half OF them.
And Barnum! This veteran of more than
dozen years, owned by Fl. ]. Woodford,
ran a good many races this season and
won a dozen of them handily. The
temptation to get all there is in a
horse out of him lest the world should
come to an end before next season
is likely to injure the breed as
much as the general cultivation of
thoroughbreds will help it. That the
temptation is no small one is shown by
the fact that Hanover, at three years old,
has won for his owners, the Messrs.
Dwyer, of Brooklyn, upward of 100000
in stakes and purses; and everybody in
terested in the turf knows that that does
not half represent what even conserva-
tive hacker of his horses would make
in betting. The Dryers are known as
heavy plungers on their favorite racers,
so that it is safe to say that Hanover has
yielded them not far from half a million.
r. was bought in 1885 at the sale Of the
Runnymede stud in Paris, KY, for 81 $50
After adding alb possible expenses of
training, travel, care and doctors bills, it
is easy to see that Hanover was pretty
fair investment for the Dwyer Brothers.
Monmouth Park at Long Branch had
the lions share of the success during the
past season. This was due not alone to
the enterprise of its managers and the
high stakes that attracted the best horses
there, but to one of those freaks of fash
ion that no fellow can account for. Il
has never been fashionable to 60 to the
races at Monmouth. Big crowds at
tended, it is true, but they came from
New York city, Brooklyn, Philadelphia
and New Jersey cities. The attendance
from the Branch hotels was not of the
fashionable clique. That clique in it.
self Is not over numerous compared with
the crowd, but it makes a tremendous
difference in the appearance of the crowd
and in the money it spends. And be-
sides, when it is known that fashionable
people 90 to the races there is an army
Of awould hes" who follow. This sea
SON fashion took it into its head to go tc
the Monmouth events, and the man
ayers and turfmen have not done
yet with exclaiming over the ex-
fraordinary success of the season
there. And the spectators had many
splendid races to reward their attend
ance. Hanover had become Sensational
runner at Sheepshead Bay before tn